LONDON/PARIS — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is heading to Paris this week for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and to attend business events. The trip marks the second visit to the European country in a year for the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
According to a statement by the French presidency on Wednesday afternoon, Macron will host bin Salman at the Elysee Palace on Friday for a working lunch at which they will discuss the relationship between Paris and Riyadh as well as the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the rest of the world.
MBS left for Paris on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Next Monday, he will participate in the kingdom’s reception for Riyadh’s candidacy to host Expo 2030. In September 2022, Saudi Arabia applied to host the expo in Riyadh in 2030, under the proposed theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”
The crown prince is also set to lead the Saudi delegation at a June 22-23 summit in Paris called “For a New Global Financial Pact” that Macron will host. More than 100 heads of state and government are due to attend, according to the event’s website. The French president announced the summit at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt last November, seeking to create a financial framework bringing together developed and developing countries to fight the climate crisis and advance the green energy transition.
